Hybrids

A number of our residents here and Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary are domestic/wild hybrids. These hybrids are the offspring of domestic cats and some of the smaller species of wild cats.

Hybrid cats are created by crossing a wildcat species with a domestic cat. The original offspring from that breeding is called an F1 and retains most of the wildcat traits. Breeding an F1 female to a domestic cat results in kittens called F2. Breeding F2 females produces a generation called F3, and so on. Most male hybrids are sterile through the 4^th or 5^th generation.

Hybrids do not make good pets. Breeders who sell these cats will claim that they have the look of a wild cat and the temperament of a house cat. This claim could not be further from the truth. While the behavior of certain hybrids can vary from cat to cat, you cannot simply breed the “wild” out of a wild cat.

Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary does not support the breeding and selling of hybrid cats. With so many wonderful domestic cats dying in shelter across the country that have nowhere to go, breeding more animals while shelter animals die is wrong.